SMB Training Blog

Getting in the back door at a prop trading firm

Yesterday Merritt and I had lunch with the winner of The Winning Trader. This is a short training program that exposes developing and new traders to setups with edge. The idea is to gain exposure to setups for students to try and see if they work for them, build a PlayBook, and learn how pro traders attack the trading day. The winner of The Winning Trader won our prize of SMB Foundation In-House for free ($8500). And yesterday was his last day training with us through SMB Foundation, which often leads to lunch with Merritt and me.

This is an SMB Training product, which is a separate and for-profit educational firm.

But our hope is that we will be introduced to serious students thru SMB Training that we can hire for the desk. Our entire Options Desk was built this way, for example.

For our next training class for our prop desk, the runner-up to the winner of The Winning Trader, was hired. Most of our hires will be recent college graduates, with characteristics that remind us of successful traders at the firm. But there is a back door that we always keep open. And we have found that that back door has produced many High Performing Traders for firm.

I asked the winner of The Winning Trader at lunch, “What is your ultimate goal?” This trader/student responded, “To get hired by a professional trading firm and trade firm capital.”

Oh….very interesting. I just happen to be know someone who makes those decisions at our prop firm.

A common email in my inbox more or less goes like this: how can I get hired by your firm? The full answer would take too long. But this winner of The Winning Trader is a role model for the trading community on a good way to earn a spot on a trading desk.

This trader took SMB DNA. Serious student.

He toook The Winning Trader. Serious student.

He studied with Andrew Falde with NetZero. Serious student.

He is trading at an arcade, developing his day trading skills. Trading live.

He has amassed savings to give trading a real shot, without financial stress. Serious planner.

In short, he has trained seriously, traded seriously, planned seriously, traded multiple products, got to know partners and traders that hire at firms. To be the winner of The Winning Trader, a student had to most impress our firm with their effort and trading aptitude and seriousness.

This path this trader has taken makes me very interested. You might say it is an attempt to land on a prop trading desk through the back door. I hope this trader/student applies to our firm. Our doors would be open to him.

*no relevant positions

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